In primo quidem libro, qui ante hunc est, arguentes falsi nominis agnitionem ostendimus tibi, dilectissime, omne ab his qui sunt a, Valentino per multos et contrarios modos adiuventum esse falsiloquium etiam sententias
In the first book, which immediately precedes this, exposing "knowledge falsely so called," I showed thee, my very dear friend, that the whole system devised, in many and opposite ways, by those who are of the school of Valentinus, was false and baseless.
exposuimus eorum qui priores exstiterunt. discrepantes eos sibimetipsis ostendentes, multo autem prius ipsi ueritati.
I also set forth the tenets of their predecessors, proving that they not only differed among themselves, but had long previously swerved from the truth itself
Et Marci quoque magi sententiam, cum sit ex his cum operibus ejus omni diligentia exposuimus
And Marcus also said to be a magician, since he is of them since I further explained, with all diligence
et quanta ex Scripturis eligentes adaptare conantur fictioni suae, diligenter retulimus: diligenter retulimus
and how many passages they garble from the Scriptures, with the view of adapting them to their own fictions I carefully noticed
et quonam modo per numeros, et per viginti quatuor elementa zalphabeti veritatem aflirmare conantur et audent, minutatim perexivimus.
Moreover, I minutely narrated the manner in which, by means of numbers, and by the twenty-four letters of the alphabet, they boldly endeavour to establish truth.
Et quemadmodum conditionem secundum imaginem invisibilis apud eos Pleromatis factam dicunt, et quanta de Demiurgo sentiunt ac decent, renuntiavimus,
And I have also related how they think and teach that creation at large was formed after the image of their invisible Pleroma, and what they hold respecting the Demiurge,
et progenitoris ipsorum doctrinam Simonis magi Samaritan et omnium eorum qui successerunt ei manifestavimus
and declaring at the same time the doctrine of Simon Magus of Samaria, their progenitor, and of all those who succeeded him
diximus quoque multitudinem eorum qui sunt ab eo Gnostici; et differentias ipsorum et doctrinas et successiones adnotauimus,
I mentioned, too, the multitude of those Gnostics who are sprung from him, and noticed the points of difference between them, their several doctrines, and the order of their succession
quaeque ab eis haereses institutae sunt omnes exposuimus,
while I set forth all those heresies which have been originated by them
et quoniam omnes a Simone haeretici initia sumentes impia et irreligiosa dogmata induxerunt in hanc vitam ostendimus
I showed, moreover, that all these heretics, taking their rise from Simon, have introduced impious and irreligious doctrines into this life
et redemptionem ipsorum et quomodo initiant eos qui perficiuntur et adfationes ipsorum et mysteria manifestauimus,
and I explained the nature of their "redemption," and their method of initiating those who are rendered "perfect," along with their invocations and their mysteries.
et quia unus Deus Conditor et quia non postremitatis fructus et quia neque super illum neque post eum est aliquid
and I proved also that there is one God, the Creator, and that He is not the fruit of any defect, nor is there anything either above Him, or after Him.